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Monday, April 20, 2015

I
have often explained that having a passport is mandatory documentation
for anyone interested in survival and preparedness. The reasons why you
should have a passport are many. Even if you don’t plan on traveling,
it’s the best form of ID world wide and an excellent additional ID if
you lose your driver’s license. Many times, potential employers will ask
you to have one for business travel. You may end up losing a great job
opportunity if you don’t have one. Even in your existing line of work
you may need to travel unexpectedly for closing a deal, talking with a
potential client or going to seminars, all of which you may lose if you
can’t travel at short notice. Maybe it’s not even yourself that is
traveling. Maybe you’re retired or just don’t like traveling abroad, but
your children do. What if they suffer an accident or get sick while
abroad and you can’t travel to help them?

Two is one and one is noneIf
having one passport is a great idea, having two is even better. Having
two passports opens up a world of opportunities. In my case it allowed
me to emigrate to Europe and enjoy the advantages of doing so as an
European citizen.One way in which the power of a passport is
measured is by how many countries you can travel to without a visa. In
this aspect, the United States of America and United Kingdom passports
are the best ones to have, giving you access to 147 countries. This is
followed by France, South Korea and Germany with 145, then Sweden and
Italy with 144. http://www.passportindex.org/byRank.phpOf
course, access to a country without a visa is just one aspect. The
South Korean passport may have four more countries than the one from
Portugal, but clearly the Portuguese Passport has the advantage of
allowing you to reside anywhere in the European Union as any other
citizen, making it a far more desirable passport. The country of
origin of the issued passport is also important. Powerful countries
don’t always provide the most benefits, especially in this time and age.
For example, opening a foreign bank account with an American passport
is very difficult given how much information the American government
ends up demanding from the bank if doing so. It’s just not worth the
trouble in the eyes of most banks, at least not for ordinary American
citizens. Then you have to take into account the reputation and foreign
policy of the country. Currently, in many parts of the world, there’s an
anti-American sentiment that may work against you. During terrorist
attacks, Americans and British citizens may be killed immediately while
others are allowed to live. This happened during the 2008 attacks in
Mumbai. Since the American and British government “does not negotiate
with terrorists”, there’s a good chance you’ll end up killed
immediately, or end up brutally executed. On the other hand, countries
such as Spain and Italy, they will pay for your release and have stated
so publicly on several occasions. In 2012, Mariasandra Mariani tried to
explain her al-Qaeda captors that held her in the north of Mali that her
family didn’t have money to pay. Her kidnapers told her to relax, that
Italy “always pays”.

Italian
Citizen Sergio Cicala and his wife Philomene Kabore, kidnapped in 2009
in Mauritania. They were held captive for five months before being
released.

Some will argue that paying only makes things
worse because it finances terrorism or it even makes you more likely to
be kidnapped. So far evidence shows that foreigners are equally
targeted, and it’s only after the actual kidnap takes place that their
faith is decided. As for what’s morally right… guess being in an orange
jumpsuit with your head about to be detached from your body puts things
into perspective.

Spanish
Citizena Albert Vilalta, Alicia Gámez and Roque Pascual kidnapped in
Mauritania in 2010. They were released 268 days later.

France
has more of an “unofficial” stance, but they are known to pay as well.
Depending on the passport, you may not even be taken captive. This will
of course depend on the country’s foreign policy stance in regards to
the group that has taken you captive or the country where you happen to
find yourself in trouble.Some of the more humble countries that
aren’t seen neither as a world power nor as a threat may be even more
advantageous. In 1995, and while detained by Croatia special police, a
group of Argentine and French UN delegates
noticed a sudden, friendly change by their captors once they noticed
the Argentine flag worn by one of the men. “Argentino!” he cried out one
of the Croatian fighters, while at the same time pointing at the
markings on the Argentine made FM FAL rifle he carried.

Getting a second passportGetting
a second passport may not be as hard as you may think. In some cases,
it may cost very little money if you have the right paperwork and enough
patience. In my book “Bugging Out and Relocating”
I explain several ways in which you can get one. In general, having
money makes things easier as many countries either sell passports
directly in exchange for donations or provide one after a significant
investment is made in the country. If you don’t have several hundred
thousand dollars sitting around though, one of the best ways to get a
second citizenship is by taking a closer look at your family tree. If
you have grandparents that came from certain European countries, such as
Italy, Poland, Germany and Ireland, you have a good chance of getting a
EU passport.FerFAL Fernando “FerFAL” Aguirre is the author of “The Modern Survival Manual: Surviving the Economic Collapse” and “Bugging Out and Relocating: When Staying is not an Option”.

1 comment:

Don Williams
said...

Thanks for the info, Ferfal.

One of the interesting aspects of some European countries is their award of citizenship by extended rule of jus sanguinis -- rule of blood (i.e, family relationship) vice the jus solis --rule of soil or place of birth.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jus_sanguinis

Plus Greece , which has a widely accepted passport that is also good for the EU as a whole, also has a special rule giving citizenship to anyone accepted as a monk at Mount Athos.

The Eastern Orthodox monasteries there have been sanctuaries for centuries, including for Russians. In theory, if Putin was overthrown he could get a EU passport by becoming a monk there. Although he might have a problem with the rule of celibacy.

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Leatherman Charge Ti

Fenix Lights

I love this light. Runs on a single AAA and is capable of big boy lumen output (80 lumens) in a keychain package. Also has low and mid mode for longer runtime.
Fenix PD20
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General Mode: 9 lumens (35hrs) -> 47 lumens (6.5hrs) -> 94 lumens (2.6hrs) -> SOS
Turbo Mode: 180 lumens (1hrs) -> Strobe
15 days of survival use (2 continuous hours per day on the lowest setting)

Thanks for the Positive Reviews!

Energency gadget... on steroids.

Asus Eee 1005HA

Basic Door/Window Alarm

Emergency gadget

Both tool and weapon, just the right size

Straight edge makes it easier to sharpen, + tougher tip

Gorilla Tape

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Transportation

I talked about these some time ago in an article, remember someone asked where to get one.
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Just found one reasonably priced and with excellent reviews in Amazon.

Best Folder

Emergency blankets. I Have several of these around.

Katadyn water filter

for the kits

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Got to have water: Klean Kanteen Stainless Steel

Moleskine, the ultimate little black cover notebook :)

Fenix L0D-CE. Perfect keychain light. 80 Lumens in a single AAA

Nice combo. The Soldier is an excellent product.

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This is the brand I use and always have one in my bag and car. ( same brand used by NYPD)
My wife keeps one in her purse too.
Sabre Red Tear Gas
Sabre Red for ladies
You guys have the coolest stuff up there.:)

Jack Bauer’s bag.:) I’d like to get one of these and try it out.

Fox OC Spray

Don’t have this one but it’s the hottest OC spray out there.
Someone once called it “bottled lava”
Pick your poison people, but do carry OC
1) Even if you carry a gun
2) SPECIALLY if you don’t carry a gun

Firesteel

Classic, and one of the few things I’d call a “must have” I own two of these.